1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to small watercrafts, and in particular to a hull construction for a small watercraft.
2. Description of Related Art
Personal watercrafts have become very popular in recent years. A personal watercraft is designed to be operated by a rider who sits in a straddle-like fashion at a central position on the watercraft. Some personal watercrafts also have seating for one or two passengers. For this purpose, the personal watercraft includes an upper deck section with an elongated bench which the rider and passengers straddle. The deck also includes foot areas which extend along both sides of the bench.
Over the past few years, a lower section of the personal watercraft hull has steadily evolved in an effort to optimize the speed and the handling of the small watercraft. The hull lower section now commonly has a deep "V" shape and often includes one or more inner chines between a keel line of the hull and the outer chines. The lower hull section is designed such that the watercraft planes or rides on only a portion of the lower hull section's surface area at the aft end of the watercraft. The wetted area of the watercraft hull (i.e., the portion of the watercraft hull in contact with the water) desirably is small in comparison to the total surface are of the hull lower section in order to reduce drag on the watercraft. For this purpose, watercraft's bow rises out of the water to reduce the wetted area when the watercraft is planing.
The angle formed between the bow and the surface of the body of water in which the watercraft is operated affects the drag or resistance experienced by the watercraft hull as it planes over the water surface. This angle is often referred to as the planing angle of the watercraft. Too large or small of an angle significantly increases drag on the watercraft hull. An optimal planing angle therefore exists in order to minimize drag on the watercraft.
Prior hull designs, however, most often are designed to raise the watercraft hull to a smaller than the optimum planing angle for the watercraft in order to minimize pitching of the watercraft. Prior watercrafts tend to pitch severely when planing with the bow raised to the optimum planing angle. That is, the bow of the watercraft tends to bounce up and down with the bow raised out of the water to the desired planing angle. This condition is commonly referred to as "porpoising" and produces a very uncomfortable ride. In addition, watercraft speed suffers because bow porpoising increases the drag on the watercraft. At a smaller angle, the watercrafts does not porpoise to a meaningful extent; however, drag on the watercraft increases with a smaller angle as compared with the planing optimum angle if it could be maintained.